Sister, are you saying... the Prime Minister is actually a demon? And even my father might have been swapped?
Ye Qingyu was stunned, her eyes filled with an irrepressible shock as she spoke.
She found it hard to believe, yet she felt she had no choice but to believe it.
If these words had come from anyone else, she would have thought they were mad. But coming from Su Qing's mouth, the effect was entirely different.
Su Qing was the mortal representative of the One-Leaf Bodhisattva, a being who possessed true Dharma power and could be called an immortal.
Ye Qingyu did not dare doubt her words.
Still, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How is this possible... Why would this happen..."
Su Qing looked at the Commandery Princess, knowing how incredibly shocked she must be. She wasn't surprised; anyone receiving such news would find it difficult to hide their astonishment.
Su Qing looked at her and said calmly, "As shocking as it is, it is the truth. I have seen the Prime Minister before; he is a white-haired rat spirit in disguise. As for your father, I cannot say for certain... I only suspect he has been swapped. After all, I never met the previous Emperor, so I can only speculate."
Su Qing was in no hurry to pass judgment on the King.
In truth, she felt the King might not have been swapped at all; he might just be that naturally brain-dead, which made it hard to reach a conclusion.
Ye Qingyu didn't seem to be listening to Su Qing anymore, her head still bowed as she muttered to herself, trying to digest the information she had just received.
This matter was simply too much for the Princess to accept all at once.
Seeing her state, Su Qing didn't rush to continue. Instead, she picked up her teacup, took a sip, and watched her quietly, waiting for her to come back to her senses and process the facts.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
When Su Qing was halfway through her tea, the Princess finally let out a long sigh.
"So, Sister, you cannot directly help me seize the throne, but you will help me clear out the demons under the Prime Minister's command?"
Seeing that she had regained her composure and understood the point, Su Qing nodded with satisfaction.
The Princess was not dull; on the contrary, she was very clever. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to govern such a large territory so well.
"Correct. While I cannot help you take the throne directly or charge into battle for you, I can provide some assistance..."
Su Qing looked at her with a smile and said, "Those mortals are not a problem for you. You can handle them yourself; I have faith in your capabilities in that regard."
"Your true obstacles are the demons. After all, even with an army, a mortal body is vulnerable before powerful demons."
"However, I will deal with those demons and those who are deeply connected to them for you."
"This way, you can focus entirely on dealing with your enemies."
"Furthermore, besides the demons, I can also provide you with special healing pills..."
"After all, I am a physician."
"A physician's responsibility is to heal the sick and save lives. Acting in this capacity will not be considered breaking the rules."
Su Qing had always been one to follow the rules... though her version of following the rules involved dancing wildly right on the edge of them.
To Su Qing, as long as something wasn't explicitly forbidden by the rules, it was fair game. In fact, even if something was forbidden, as long as she was willing to do it, no one could really stop her. At most, she’d get a scolding, which was just a bit bad for her reputation and a little embarrassing.
After hearing this, the Princess fell silent for a moment before nodding. Su Qing's words, besides explaining what she could do, also subtly told her that she could kill even those who weren't demons—she just couldn't engage in wanton slaughter.
The Princess kept this understanding to herself, knowing it wasn't something to be said aloud.
She simply said, "I... I understand. Regardless, thank you for your help, Sister! However, there is one thing I don't quite understand. Why don't you just go and kill the Prime Minister directly? With your abilities, you should be able to kill him, right?"
Although she was happy Su Qing was willing to help her deal with the demons, the Princess was still curious about this point.
Since Su Qing knew the Prime Minister was a demon and she could kill demons, why not just kill him directly and let them handle the rest of the struggle? That would save a lot of trouble.
After all, even if she supported Ye Qingyu, wouldn't she eventually have to deal with the Prime Minister anyway? If the end result was the same, why not choose the simpler path?
Su Qing smiled. She knew the Princess would be curious about this.
She explained, "I indeed have the power to kill that Prime Minister, but now is not the time. This is the capital, where many commoners live. If I were to fight him here, the people would be the ones to suffer."
"While my strength is decent, I cannot guarantee an instant kill."
"As long as I cannot kill him instantly, a battle with him will inevitably cause massive ripples."
"Such ripples might mean nothing to me, but for ordinary civilians, they would be fatal."
"A duel between immortals, even the mere aftershocks, can easily take a mortal's life."
"Furthermore, if that Prime Minister is backed into a corner, who knows if he would start attacking the crowds indiscriminately?"
"That is why I haven't moved to kill him myself."
"However, while it is troublesome for me to do it, the result would be different if the Bodhisattva intervened."
"A Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva, after all. Dealing with a demon is effortless for her."
"No matter how powerful that demon is, he is nothing more than a rat with a knife before the Bodhisattva."
"With just a glance, the Bodhisattva can render him immobile. Thus, there is no need to worry about failing to kill him instantly or him doing anything drastic."
"Additionally, not rushing to kill him and waiting for the Bodhisattva to handle it later is actually creating an opportunity for you."
"An opportunity for you to take the throne with even greater legitimacy."
Ye Qingyu listened, her brow furrowing slightly.
She seemed to understand, yet she wasn't entirely sure.
But since the person involved was right in front of her, Ye Qingyu didn't bother overthinking it and asked directly, "What do you mean by that, Sister?"
Su Qing gave a faint smile and said, "Exactly what it sounds like! Once you have stormed the capital and fought your way into the palace, I will invite the Bodhisattva to descend and slay the Prime Minister."
"And after the Prime Minister is slain, I will ask the Bodhisattva to grant you the right to inherit the throne."
"I will grant you the Divine Right of Kings!"
"That way, won't your rule be completely legitimate?"
When Ye Qingyu heard this, she was initially dazed... but after a brief moment of shock, she quickly caught on.
She looked at Su Qing and said, "I see. The reason you are helping me is actually a deal with the Bodhisattva? You help me get the throne, and I help the Bodhisattva spread her faith?"
Ye Qingyu truly was a woman who could manage a large prefecture with perfect order; her mind was not slow at all. She was very sharp and understood Su Qing's implied meaning in just a few moments.
Su Qing naturally nodded and said, "You are correct... it is indeed a transaction. However, it is a deal between you and me, not between you and the Bodhisattva! After all, I have my own tasks to perform. I certainly won't pass up an opportunity that both gives the people a better ruler and allows me to complete my mission."
Su Qing spoke with apparent candor.
But everything she had just said was something she had made up on the spot.
After all, she was the Bodhisattva herself. She could do whatever she wanted, and no one could tell her otherwise.
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu was first stunned, then after a short silence, she broke into a smile.
For a moment, she actually seemed much more relaxed, losing the heavy state she had been in earlier.
"I see... Sister is right. If I can gain the support of a Bodhisattva, especially the One-Leaf Bodhisattva who is so well-known among the people now, it would indeed be a great thing for me. It would certainly save me a lot of trouble after I take the throne."
Ye Qingyu nodded in thought, clearly in full agreement with this deal.
Seeing this, Su Qing also nodded with satisfaction and said, "It seems you understand perfectly!"
"Hmph, in that case, the matter is settled!"
"However, I must remind the Princess once more: I can only help you kill demons or those deeply associated with them. Beyond that, I cannot act recklessly. So, please, Little Sister, do not make things too difficult for me!"
Hearing this, Ye Qingyu quickly shook her head and said, "Sister, what are you saying? Even if I were to make things difficult for anyone, I wouldn't do it to you! Besides, with your status, would you even be afraid of me making things difficult?"
Ye Qingyu had indeed relaxed a lot, and her tone was much lighter.
Su Qing smiled gracefully and said, "I am but a commoner; what special status could I have? I'm not even a lowly government servant."
"Then, once I become the Emperor, I shall grant you an official title. How about that?"
"Mhm, that's not a bad suggestion. I've never been an official before!" Su Qing said with a faint smile, playing along.
"Sister, you truly know how to joke!"
Su Qing shook her head and said, "Actually, I am a bit surprised by you. I thought that after learning your father might have been swapped, you might give up on taking the throne. I didn't expect you to still choose to seize it."
"Why would I give up? I want to become the Emperor so that I can change this country according to my own will and make it better, rather than pinning my hopes on an Emperor as I did in the past. So, even if my father hadn't been swapped, I would still take the throne. Moreover, if my father has likely already been murdered and the one sitting there is just a double, I have even less reason to give up."
Ye Qingyu looked at Su Qing and spoke with a slight, knowing smile.
For her, once the decision to seize power had been made, she naturally couldn't give up halfway.
After all, being able to personally change the country was far more meaningful than hoping someone else would do a good job.
Su Qing could clearly feel Ye Qingyu's determination; the woman truly wanted to change the country.
Even if it required paying a great price beforehand, she would not hesitate.
Su Qing smiled and then said, "I truly didn't misjudge you! You've given me quite a pleasant surprise, Little Sister. I believe that after you become the Emperor, you will definitely be able to make this country better."
Upon hearing Su Qing's words, the Princess couldn't help but smile; clearly, the compliment meant a lot to her.
"Then Sister shall just have to wait and see."
"Very well, I shall wait and see," Su Qing nodded and said.
After Su Qing finished speaking, Ye Qingyu continued:
"Alright, since we've settled the general direction today, let's leave it at that for now!"
"For the rest of our time, let's just enjoy some food and talk about lighter things."
"After all, I didn't come to see you today just to talk about these heavy, serious matters."
"I also came to catch up and have a good drink with you!"
"We can't let this business ruin our wine."
"Besides, we should wait for the others from your household to arrive."
Su Qing nodded and said, "I was thinking the same thing!"
After discussing 'serious business' for so long, it was indeed time to have some fun.
After all, who has that much 'serious business' to do all day long?
And so...
The two of them stopped discussing those 'treasonous' topics.
They turned to chatting about domestic trivia and small talk.
At the same time, the Princess had someone bring up several jars of fine wine...
So that the two of them could drink while they chatted.
Time passed, minute by minute.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
In the private room, besides many more dishes on the table, several people who hadn't been there before had also arrived...
Now that it was lunchtime, everyone from the clinic had naturally come over.
With the addition of these people...
The once empty and quiet private room suddenly became lively.
Lunch was exceptionally boisterous and very enjoyable...
After the meal.
It was naturally time for everyone to part ways.
Su Qing was to return to the clinic with her staff.
As for the Princess, she still had other things to attend to.
After all, pulling an Emperor off his horse was not something that could be done just by talking...
Before that, a great deal of preparatory work was required.
So, it was time for the Princess to begin those preparations.
Su Qing couldn't help with these matters...
So naturally, she wouldn't interfere.
What she had to do now was manage the clinic well...
And wait for news from the Princess.
Rate on N.U.
